Job Information
Bureau of Reclamation Civil Engineer (Recent Graduate) in Sacramento, California
Summary Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Civil Engineer (Recent Graduate). You can make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment. Duty Location: Sacramento, California Responsibilities The duties listed below are at the full performance level: Apply principles of civil engineering as related to operation and maintenance (O&M) of civil structures. Conduct field investigations to determine the condition of civil structures. Oversee O&M practices of civil structures (facilities) to ensure are performing as designed and in accordance with established standards for safety and reliability. Make engineering decisions and recommendations to correct deficiencies related to facility O&M. Facilitate/lead meetings; deliver visual presentations to internal or external audiences. Collaborate with staff, internal and external stakeholders, project teams, and management. Develop sound working relationships through oral communication with others. Write reports to document findings from field investigations of civil structures/facilities. Provide detailed written information, guidance, or instructions to others. Manage facility operations and maintenance or asset management related programs that improve organizational performance and achieve organizational goals and objectives. Provide programmatic support to ensure compliance with directives, standards, and procedures. Lead and/or coordinate the efforts of teams to ensure all are focused on achieving shared objectives. Perform quality assurance checks on data and information, analyzing it for accuracy and completeness. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National. You must be suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation. You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents). You must submit eligibility documents for veterans consideration (see Required Documents). You must meet any minimum education and/or experience requirements (see Qualifications). You must submit transcript(s) to verify education requirements (see Qualifications/Education). Who May Apply: Pathways - Recent Graduates Recent Graduate applicants must meet all eligibility and qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement, 01/02/2025. Future Graduate applicants must meet all eligibility and qualification requirements - AND - have official transcripts available - AND - be able to start no later than July 13th. No exceptions will be made to extend this date. Individuals serving in Recent Graduate appointments may be non-competitively converted to a permanent position with the Bureau of Reclamation upon successful completion of the program, but conversion is neither promised nor guaranteed. To be eligible for conversion to a permanent, these Recent Graduates must also: Be a U.S. Citizen or National; Have completed at least one year of continuous service; Have demonstrated successful job performance as documented by a rating of record of at least Fully Successful or equivalent; Be recommended for conversion by their manager or supervisor; Meet the Office of Personnel Management's qualification standards for the position to which the Recent Graduate will be converted (which may include a positive education requirement); and Meet all agency and program specific requirements as specified in their individual Participant Agreement. If converted to a permanent or term appointment, the anticipated target position is GS-0810-11; however, that may change based on the need of the organization at that time. The full performance level of the target position will be dependent on the type of position and will be determined at the time of conversion. Recent Graduates converted to a term position in the competitive service may subsequently be non-competitively converted to a career or career-conditional appointment without further competition. Qualifications To qualify for the Civil Engineer, GS-0810-07/9, you must meet BOTH the Basic Qualification Requirement and the Additional Requirements. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. -or- B. Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following: 1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions. -or- 2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. -or- 3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A. -or- 4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all inclusive.) AND ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT In addition to meeting the basic education requirement, you must also meet one of the following for each of the grade levels. Specialized experience is obtained after the requirements noted under 'Basic Qualifications Requirements' are met. GS-07 A. Specialized Experience: To qualify, applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility of the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Examples of specialized experience may include assisting civil engineers with various projects, collecting data through field activities, and assisting with the preparation of reports, researching technical reports and other guidelines to obtain information for civil engineers. This experience is gained after meeting the basic qualifications (noted above). -or- B. Education: 1 year of graduate-level education or completed a 5-year program of study of at least 160 semester hours leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering. -or- C. Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education (above a bachelors) and specialized experience may be used to qualify for this position if the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. -or- D. Superior Academic Achievement. Superior Academic Achievement is based on 1) class standing, 2) grade-point average, or 3) honor society membership. E. Future Graduate: You will meet the basic requirements (noted above) -and- options B, C, or D will apply - be able to start by 13 July 2025. GS-09 A. Specialized Experience: To qualify, applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Examples of specialized experience may include developing various projects, collecting data through field activities, and with the preparation of reports, researching technical reports and other guidelines to obtain information for civil engineers. This experience is gained after meeting the basic qualifications (noted above). -or- B. Education: 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: engineering, engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, geology, or other related field of study. -or- C. I have a combination of superior academic achievement OR I have completed a 5-year program of study of at least 160 semester hours leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering in addition to having 1 year of appropriate professional experience. D. Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education (noted in choice B) and specialized experience (noted in choice A) may be used to qualify for this position if the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. E. Future Graduate: You will meet the basic requirements (noted above) -and- options B, C, D or E will apply - be able to start by 13 July 2025. Academic Year: At the undergraduate level, 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours is comparable to 1 year of undergraduate education. Four years of progressive study or 120 semester hours meets the degree requirements. At the graduate level, 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours. Education Accreditation: Only education from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education is acceptable to meet education requirements or to substitute for experience, if applicable. For additional info, refer to the Office of Personnel Management and U.S. Department of Education. Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For additional info, refer to the U.S. Network for Education Information. You will be required to provide official college transcripts to verify educational qualifications, if selected. An official transcript must be sent directly from the University's Registrar's office and must be provided from the institution awarding the degree. Academic transcripts certified by notary publics are NOT official. Official transcripts must be submitted prior to reporting to work as a condition of employment. Failure to submit official transcripts may be grounds for dismissal or rescission of the job offer. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g. professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. The applicant will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Additional Information This is a career development opportunity in the excepted service under the Bureau of Reclamation Pathways Program. The program is designed to provide recent graduates and apprentices with opportunities to work and get paid while exploring Federal careers. If the position is filled at the lower-grade level, subsequent promotion to the next higher-grade level per the target full performance is permissible without further competition. Promotion is not guaranteed or promised but dependent upon administrative approval and the agency's continuing need for an actual assignment and performance at the higher-level duties. For more information about the Pathways Program please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/#url=Program-Fact-Sheets You may be required to serve an initial probationary period. Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and you may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval. DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/ This position is designated as a LOW RISK position. It requires a fully completed and favorably adjudicated SF85 Background Investigation (T1 or equivalent) that is current (within the last 5 years). This is a condition of employment. You will be scored and placed onto a register, from which selections will be made as the workforce demands. Both permanent and temporary positions are filled from this register as well as full-time, part-time and intermittent work schedules. Male applicants born after December 31,1959 must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: https://www.sss.gov This is a bargaining unit position represented by National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 951. Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.